Gary Zhao 

 Candidate for President-Elect

Candidate Statement #1

I am very excited to announce my candidacy for NAPABA’s President-Elect. If elected, I pledge to work with everyone, internally and externally, to promote NAPABA’s mission, goals and advancement of NAPABA members.

True leadership ability is tested during times of crisis. I faced that test head on. When the coronavirus pandemic hit in early 2020, I was seven months into my year-long term as AABA Chicago’s President. A wave of anti-Asian, racist incidents and slurs were infecting the APA community on a cultural and societal level in Chicago and throughout the nation. By February 2, in swift response to these attacks, I led AABA Chicago in its efforts to educate the community by spreading awareness and speaking out against xenophobic and discriminatory acts against our community. On March 19, I was interviewed by the local Fox News affiliate and demanded that President Trump apologize for the use of racial slurs like “Chinese virus” and “Wuhan virus”. I also advised members of the AAPI community, during the same interview, to prioritize their own safety while documenting incidents of harassment and violence perpetrated against them.¹ I am not afraid to stand up against bigotry and xenophobic rhetoric!

As part of our advocacy campaign, on April 7, 2020, I greatly expanded our advocacy efforts by coordinating a letter amongst six Chicago area APA bar associations (AABA, FALA SABA, KABA, CABA and JABA) urging Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx to publicly recognize and denounce the increasing racist attacks and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in the wake of rising concerns over the coronavirus. Within a week, our collective bar groups had a meeting with representatives from both offices. This was shortly followed by an official statement from AG Raoul condemning COVID-19 related hate crimes and racism against AAPIs in English, Chinese and Tagalog and from State’s Attorney Foxx standing with AABA Chicago in condemning the surge of discrimination and hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The coordination with the law enforcement officials culminated in a “Hate Crimes Conversation” roundtable summit on May 14, 2020 with Raoul, Foxx, US Attorney John R. Lausch, Jr., FBI Special Agent in Charge Emmerson Buie, Jr., Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice of Chicago Andy Kang, and myself. This unprecedented event was attended by over 160 invited community leaders throughout Chicago and the country. Because of the group efforts spearheaded by me to help bring about awareness, justice, and change, I was featured in ABC 7 Chicago’ Emmy Award-winning annual special “Asian Influences: Standing Strong” in honor of APA Heritage Month.²  To date, our coalition of bar groups continue to work with AG Raoul’s office by holding regular meetings and by translating educational materials into different Asian languages to fight hate crimes

I am proud of our collective work in combating the recent rise in anti-Asian racism and hate crimes. But our work is far from complete. A study by the Pew Research Center released in late June shows that nearly 40% of Asian and Black Americans report they have experienced increased discrimination during the pandemic. We must also recognize that our fight to advocate for the AAPI community is inextricably linked to the greater struggle against racism in this country. If we no longer wanted to be treated as perpetual strangers in this country, we must work with our natural allies—the black community, the Latinx community, and others who have been marginalized-to push for anti-racist policies and to shape this country into one that welcomes people of all colors. As President-Elect, I will work with NAPABA’s leadership and staff to formulate a strategy to take our fight against racism to a new national level, and beyond simply issuing statements condemning hatred. NAPABA will expand and boost its advocacy efforts to encourage elected officials and federal law enforcement to take greater action to fight bigotry and racism and to promote racial equality.

No doubt, we face unanticipated challenges in raising money and gaining sponsorships due to the economic downturn caused by the pandemic. I am the candidate with most experience managing NAPABA’s finances. I have had the privilege of serving the past two years as NAPABA’s Treasurer and a member of the Executive Committee. I manage the organization’s day-to-day finances and regularly report our financial health to the Board of Governors. The past two bar years, we reduced our expenses and increased our revenue, resulting in significant surpluses for our organization for both years. So far this year, I have already worked with the staff to reduce our expenses so our organization can remain fiscally sound. In my mind, there is no other candidate better equipped to continue to guide our organization through this crisis.

Prior to being elected and re-elected as NAPABA’s Treasurer, I served as an At-Large Board member for two years. In that capacity, I co-chaired the Collaborative Bar Leadership Academy (CBLA)’s Steering Committee for NAPABA. This leadership training program allows NAPABA to partner with several established national diverse bar organizations like the HNBA, NBA, NNABA, and the ABA to provide excellent leadership training with minimal financial impact on NAPABA. Through this experience, I have built strong relationships with current and incoming bar leaders in ABA and other national diverse bars. These relationships are critical as collaboration between these national bars will promote NAPABA’s success in the future.

Both internal and external leaders and members with whom I have close working relationships can attest to my collaborative work ethic with diverse stakeholders to find creative solutions to issues that arise. My four years serving on NAPABA’s board, two of which as the Treasurer, has allowed me to gain valuable insights into NAPABA’s finances and all aspects of its operations. My experience as AABA Chicago’s immediate past President also helped me gain experience in building coalitions on a local level and on advocating for issues important to the AAPI community. With these experiences and understandings that I have cultivated, I would be grateful to earn the opportunity to continue to serve this great organization and its members as NAPABA’s President-Elect.

1 https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/665636
2 https://abc7chicago.com/asian-influences-pacific-american-heritage-month-americans-chicago/6182988/

Candidate Statement #2

This election matters. NAPABA is the voice of the APA legal profession. I applaud NAPABA, under current leadership, in using that voice to advocate for the APA community and to stand in solidarity with the Black community and other marginalized communities. This country is on the verge of change, and NAPABA must remain at the forefront of the issues of our time, particularly on racial justice. 

Depending on whom we elect as the NAPABA President-Elect, we are deciding the direction that NAPABA will take. In the past several months, NAPABA affiliates all over the country have been standing up for their APA communities, releasing statements of solidarity with the Black community, hosting allyship series with other minority bar associations, and generally seeing a rise in engagement on racial justice and advocacy from our membership. NAPABA has remained at the helm of this work, leading us, supporting us, and reassuring us that we are collectively working towards a more just world. As NAPABA President-Elect, I will not falter in this work and will keep us moving forward at the forefront of change in this country. As a NAPABA Member, your vote determines the direction that NAPABA takes from here. Do you  envision our role as the NAPABA community to stand aside in the fight for justice, maintain a veneer of neutrality, pitch our position as someone who can bring harmony to the fight, wait to be invited to have a seat at the table, and quietly overcome and survive? Or, do you envision our role as a leader in the fight for racial justice and as one who has a personal stake in the fight, who builds coalitions that push for change, who will be setting the table with our allies, and who will overcome and build a better future for our children?

I have been clear in my prior candidate statement, during candidate forums, interviews with bar leaders, and throughout my candidacy that, as NAPABA President-Elect, I will work with NAPABA’s leadership and staff to formulate a strategy to take our fight against racism to a new national level, and beyond simply issuing statements condemning hatred. Under my leadership, NAPABA will expand and boost its advocacy efforts to spur elected officials and federal law enforcement to take greater action to fight bigotry and racism and to promote racial equality. You can count on me to turn my words into action. As AABA Chicago’s President, I effectively united our local APA bar associations to stand up for the APA community, as well as to stand in solidarity with the Black community and other communities of color. 

I also fully support an inclusive NAPABA, which represents the diverse and rich membership of our organization, from in-house and private practice attorneys, to public sector attorneys, to newly admitted attorneys and law students. We should focus on bringing more public sector attorneys into NAPABA’s membership ranks. One way we can achieve this is by revisiting NAPABA’s scholarship policy to provide more financial resources to public sector attorneys in attending future in-person conventions.

I am very proud of my work in creating a culture of collaboration in the local Chicago APA bar in the past decade. I have often served as the connector, bringing together our bar associations to collaborate on various events. Since rising to a national leadership position at NAPABA in 2016, I have also been a connector between our bar associations and NAPABA. We should survey our NAPABA affiliate leaders to determine the best ways in which NAPABA can strategically partner with each affiliate and to provide better sources to that affiliate. 

As an immigrant from China who grew up in Midwest U.S., I have felt privileged to be welcomed into the NAPABA family. As a NAPABA Board Member and as Treasurer, it has been my honor to be with you every step of the way through the many changes our country has faced in the past four years and to ensure that NAPABA remains strong in advocating for all of us. I recognize that I do not represent every single voice in our community. It is good for any community to have many internal voices and opportunities like this election to motivate members to share their thoughts and opinions. Your voice is important, and I want to hear from all of you. We are strong because of our different perspectives, across the country, across the legal profession, and across APA communities. In this time in our country, it is important to come together and combine our voices into one to advocate the APA community, stand in solidarity with the other marginalized communities, and turn our words into action. Together, we speak for the APA legal profession. Together, we are NAPABA. It would be an incredible honor for me to serve the same diverse NAPABA which has embraced me and to unite our voices into a powerful force for change in this country as the next NAPABA President-Elect. 

Candidate Bio

Gary represents clients in high-stake and complex business litigation matters nationwide. A partner in SmithAmundsen LLC’s commercial litigation group, Gary has secured victories through both trial and arbitration for his clients in cases involving breach of contract, intellectual property, false advertising, unfair competition, business fraud and other disputes. Gary is also fully engaged in his law firm’s diversity activities.

Most recently, until the end of June 2020, Gary was entrusted with leading his affiliate, AABA Chicago, as its President, through what became some of the most precarious moments in this country’s history. Gary led AABA in engaging multiple APA bar associations, as well as federal, state and local public officials in a strong campaign to fight racist attacks and discrimination against AAPIs. For the past two years, Gary has served as NAPABA’s Treasurer and a member of NAPABA’s Executive Committee. Gary served as an At-large member of the Board of Governors of NAPABA from 2016 to 2018. He co-chaired NAPABA’s steering committee of the Collaborative Bar Leadership Academy, a substantive program resulting from a collaboration of the six sponsoring bar associations and lays the foundation for further collaborative efforts to foster diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.

From 2011 to 2016, Gary served as the co-chair of NAPABA national litigation committee, an active committee with over 200 members. Gary was recognized by NAPABA as one of Best Lawyers Under 40 in 2015. Gary also proudly serves on the honorary board of the Filipino American Lawyers Association of Chicago (FALA). He was recognized as one of 40 Illinois Attorneys Under 40 to Watch by Chicago Daily Law Bulletin in 2011. In 2018, Gary received Chicago Bar Association’s Vanguard Award, which honors lawyers that have made the law and the legal professional more accessible to and reflective of the community it serves.

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